More than 1.5m kilograms of rubbish -- the equivalent of 214,000 black bin bags -- were found dumped last year in the Wicklow and Dublin mountains alone.

Even unwanted office chairs, like the one pictured by Garry O'Neill yesterday between Tallaght and Glencree in the Dublin Mountains, are now joining the mounds of rubbish being dumped in top tourist spots.

Yesterday John Cash, from Chapel Lane, Aughrim, was hit with the maximum €3,000 fine for dumping rubbish in Aughavannagh, Co Wicklow .

Ian Davis,of the PURE Partnership targeting dumping in the Wicklow and Dublin uplands, said there has been a continued increase in small scale dumping with the downturn.